we have a decision and it’s a bore [we can has tunnel]
As suspected, the delay in viaduct decision meant delay time to find money for a tunnel:
“After years of immobilizing conflict between the City of Seattle, King County and the state, elected leaders have agreed on a replacement for the earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct – a deep bore tunnel under downtown Seattle.” [strangebedfellows]
At this point, it looks like it’s everyone against Frank Chopp (and the Seattle voters who “preferred” neither the tunnel nor viaduct option the last time they were on the open-ended ballot [mb]). Nevermind the “no, and hell no” interpretation folks, it’s time to get ready for years of digging and mole people! At least it isn’t the “hell no” option, right?
I wonder if they can use the same tunnel borererer thingie that they used for the lightrail connection through (under?) Beacon Hill, or is it going to be used on the Capitol Hill to UW light rail connection?
Nope. This tunnel will be massive, with two 16′ lanes and two 8′ sholders on each of two levels. You could probably run 8 trains tracks in the thing if you squeezed them in right. We’ll need a much larger metal worm to dig this hole.
Oh, and we don’t have money for the tunnel. We’ll all have to look in our sofas for change, since we’re still a few billion short on funding. Or maybe we can just close the rest of our schools.
Maybe we can squeeze some money out of the federal government — isn’t "infrastructure spending" part of the "save the economy" plan? I realize that I’m supposed to hate this, but I can’t help but think that it’s sort of cool just from the point of giant machines burrowing under the city angle.